new equipment help!

hey guys, new to this forum but have been cutting grass for 12 years, all through high school. i have had the same equipment for 10 years, i have had between 10-12 yards as a weekend thing forever, but now im starting to get more yards i have 18 now and my equipment i think is holding me back from growing. i am in the market for a 36" walk behind and either a 52" or 60" ztr. i am almost positive and i have settled on the exmark turf tracer 36" hydro for the walk behind! the only thing im uncertain about is what ztr to buy. i'm inbetween the bb predator, exmark lazer z or scag wildcat. i take exceptional care of my equipment so anything commercial grade that i buy is gonna last. my grandpa taught me when i first started my little business, its better to go a little bigger than you need, because its better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, plus i feel the equipment strains less and lasts longer. im indecisive on these 3 points on my ztr. 1 air cooled vs water cooled? i have never owned anything but air cooled, but i heard that water cooled last up to 50% longer. 2 deck size. its either gonna be a 52 or 60. a friend of mine told me on a ztr, wherever you can get a 52 you can fit a 60, true? what about quality of cut? 3 and engine size. i was thinking about the 26 hp kawasaki lc on 52" deck or the 35 hp big block on a 60 deck. i will be using my ztr at my ranch that inherited from my grandpa, its 34 acres. i would really appreciate any and all comments because i really research stuff and there seems to be alot of good stuff out there in the commercial scene

I started with a 52 bobcat, still run that and 2 61's, and id say you got your mower thoughts right, bobcat then ex mark, then scag, and to be honest, i dont know how many gates and hillsides you have and stuff, but a hydro w/b is a lot of dough for a mower your not gonna wanna use once you get that ztr. If ya dont need hydro, get the belt drive, but id get the ztr first,and see if ya still need the w/b. Again, you know your lawns, i dont, just my thoughts...

I started with a 52 bobcat, still run that and 2 61's, and id say you got your mower thoughts right, bobcat then ex mark, then scag, and to be honest, i dont know how many gates and hillsides you have and stuff, but a hydro w/b is a lot of dough for a mower your not gonna wanna use once you get that ztr. If ya dont need hydro, get the belt drive, but id get the ztr first,and see if ya still need the w/b. Again, you know your lawns, i dont, just my thoughts...

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i mow alot of residential lawns, have 8 in one neighborhood. i dont have any large accounts, i just figured that the 36 tt hydro would last forever plus it fits through gates, right? sure beats my 21"airens. got lots of yards with gates i have 1600hrs on my mtd vanguard, i have put it through hell, imo, hydro is the only way i will ever go. where i live at all of the big accounts are taken by the two main companies in my town, but im hoping to grow. i live in texas, lots of hard to cut grasses down here, plus people are cheap sometimes and say "i think i can make it another week" etc. so whenever i get a ztr, i want something that im not gonna have to double cut. sometimes the grass is 12 inches tall, my 42" rider makes me work too hard

i mow alot of residential lawns, have 8 in one neighborhood. I dont have any large accounts, i just figured that the 36 tt hydro would last forever plus it fits through gates, right? Sure beats my 21"airens. Got lots of yards with gates i have 1600hrs on my mtd vanguard, i have put it through hell, imo, hydro is the only way i will ever go. Where i live at all of the big accounts are taken by the two main companies in my town, but im hoping to grow. I live in texas, lots of hard to cut grasses down here, plus people are cheap sometimes and say "i think i can make it another week" etc. So whenever i get a ztr, i want something that im not gonna have to double cut. Sometimes the grass is 12 inches tall, my 42" rider makes me work too hard

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i hear ya man,im lucky i guess, the only gates i have are big enough for my 61,s to go through, i dont really use the 52 for anything besides my house, dont even own a push mower let alone a w/b. Good luck with w/e you decide, i would go bobcat though..

As far as brand goes I learned recently to believe what many many folks on here said about what mower to buy. DEMO, DEMO, DEMO. Secondly, who do you have around you that's close for a dealer/repair shop.

I think most on here use their equipment for their personal properties so a bigger engine/deck will be very useful on your place, but you have to look at what you're wanting to do on expanding. Another LCO I know says definitely go 60"... but I can't see on anything residential more than a 52. But again, that's just me. I have a few customers in a condo subdivision and there I wouldn't go bigger than a 48. I told my dad that if we had to do it all over again I would do a 36-42 walk behind (what ever size these things come in now-a-days) and a 52" ZTR. That would cover almost ANY situation you would run into.

yeah i plan to get a 48" ztr....most yards around here are a half acre or maybe an acre...so 48" will work fine and fit around obstacles in the yard and such better in tight spaces...and doesn't require as big of a trailer to haul it lol....so less money to spend if you're like me and don't have a trailer yet

yeah i plan to get a 48" ztr....most yards around here are a half acre or maybe an acre...so 48" will work fine and fit around obstacles in the yard and such better in tight spaces...and doesn't require as big of a trailer to haul it lol....so less money to spend if you're like me and don't have a trailer yet

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remember trailers usually aren't just for mowers...mulch, leaves, rented equipment might all have to go on there at some point in time, you can fit alot more on a 6' trailer than one thats only 5' wide for example

A 36wb doesn't need to be hydro, waste of money in my opinion for what you would use it for. Just get a belt drive, it will save you 3k atleast. You should look at the standers, they are smaller than a ztr and hold a hill better.